A Time to Love

by Al Lacy

  She felt off balance again. “I’m sorry, Blake, but this just isn’t the way you talked in your letters.”

  Realizing he was moving too fast, Haman said, “No, I’m the one who’s sorry, Linda. You’ll have to forgive me. It’s just that … well, now that I’ve met you in person, I know I’m in love with you. I’m sorry if I sound pushy.”

  His words made Linda relax a bit, and she said, “I’m a little tired from the long train ride, Blake. I hope you understand.”

  “Sure.” Haman admired her beauty from the corner of his eye. He had seen few women with such perfect features.

  As they drew near the Wyoming Hotel, Linda expected Blake to pull up in front of it, but he kept the carriage moving.

  “Aren’t we going to the hotel?” she asked, glancing back at it.

  “In a little while, but before we do, there’s someplace I want to take you.

  “Oh? Where?”

  “Before I tell you, I … well, I have to say, Linda, that I’ve held something back from you.”

  Her heart began to hammer again.

  “I didn’t want you to know until you came to Cheyenne City that I’m not actually employed at the Great Plains Bank. Neither was I actually employed at the Pacific Bank and Trust Company in Sacramento.”

  Stunned at this news, Linda said, “Why did you lead me to believe that you’re a banker? How do you make your living?”

  Haman read the obvious confusion and disappointment in Linda’s eyes. He guided the carriage over to the side of the street and pulled rein. “I didn’t say I wasn’t a banker. I said I’m not actually employed at the Great Plains Bank. You see, darling, I’m the owner and president of the Great Plains Bank, not an employee. I also owned the Pacific Bank and Trust Company in Sacramento.”

  Linda stared at him, speechless.

  “I simply wanted you to come to me for myself, not for my money.”

  He waited for her reaction, but she was still unable to speak.

  “I sold the bank in Sacramento and bought the bank here so we could both get a fresh start in our lives together. The Great Plains Bank is Cheyenne City’s largest, and it’s doing well. When you marry me, Linda, all that I have will be yours. You will be a millionaire the instant you say ‘I do.’”

  Linda put a hand to her throat and blinked in amazement. “Oh, Blake, I don’t know what to say. I had no idea.”

  Haman put his arm around her shoulders. “You’re not angry with me for waiting till now to tell you?”

  “Oh, no! Not at all! It’s just such a shock.”

  Inside, Linda was relieved that Blake had held back good news. She had feared otherwise. And who could be upset at finding out she was going to marry a millionaire?

  Haman was enjoying the feel of his arm around her, marveling at the fact that this beautiful woman would soon be his wife. “I told you I bought us a house, Linda.

  “Yes. I’m anxious to see it.”

  “I’ll take you there in a little while, but first I want you to see the bank and meet my employees. I’d like to show you off to them.”

  Immediately she thought, The Blake I imagined would have waited till tomorrow when I’m rested up and looking better. But she wouldn’t disappoint him by asking to put it off.

  As they moved on down the street, Haman said, “I found us a good church. Tried two of them, which are both like the one I belonged to in Sacramento. I liked the pastor best at the first one. His name is Ronald Frye. Fine man. I told him about us, and he agreed to perform the wedding ceremony.”

  Linda smiled and said, “You’ve been a busy little bee, haven’t you?”

  “You might say that.”

  “So you’ve heard Pastor Frye preach?”

  “Yes. Dynamic.”

  “Straight down the line doctrinally?”

  “Oh, yes. He preaches Jesus Christ as the only way of salvation through His blood and by the grace of God. Preaches hellfire and damnation, too.” Suddenly Haman was glad for the education in Bible terminology he’d received from being around Blake Barrett and other Christians.

  “Good,” Linda said. “I’ll look forward to hearing him myself on Sunday.”

  Haman escorted Linda into the bank and introduced her to all his employees as his fiancée. They were warm toward her and welcomed her to Cheyenne City.

  Haman escorted her to his plush office last, then with the door closed, took her into his arms and said, “What a wonderful life we have ahead, darling!”

  Linda couldn’t bring herself to use an endearing term yet, but she warmed to his embrace and said, “The Lord has been so good to me, Blake.”

  “Well, I want you to see the house the Lord has provided for us. Let’s go.”

  Linda’s eyes popped at the section of luxurious homes on Cheyenne City’s north side. Haman drove her along the hilly streets that divided the huge yards, and her amazement increased when he swung into a long, curved driveway and headed for a huge house at the top of a tall, grassy mound surrounded with bare-branched cottonwood trees. She imagined how lovely they would look when they were loaded with leaves.

  The two-story house was constructed of light-colored red brick with sturdy white pillars that held up the wide wraparound porch. It was beautiful but a little ostentatious for Linda’s taste. But she figured the town would expect the bank’s owner to live in something this grand.

  The house had white window frames with glossy black shutters. There was snow on the big porch at the moment, and the flower pots that decorated the wide railings were bare. She pictured the colorful flowers she would put in them in the spring and the white furniture that would adorn the porch. It would be a good place to relax and cool off on summer evenings. She also pictured herself spending many happy hours tending the flowers that would bloom in the flower gardens surrounding the house.

  “Oh, Blake,” she gasped, “it’s beautiful! And you’re already living in it?”

  “Sure am. Already have a housekeeper.”

  A housekeeper! Linda had never dreamed she would live in such luxury.

  “Now, remember,” Haman said as he drew the carriage to a halt at the front porch, “anything in here you want changed, you just say so.”

  Suddenly the front door opened and a short, squat little woman stepped out on the porch, smiling for all she was worth.

  Haman alighted from the carriage and said, “Linda, meet Sadie Brown.”

  “Hello, Sadie,” Linda said.

  “I’m so glad to meet you, ma’am,” Sadie replied.

  Haman was busy doing something with the horses bridle, so Linda lifted her skirt a little and climbed out of the carriage by herself, dunking that Blake Barrett needed to improve in the area of being a gentleman.

  As Linda mounted the steps, Sadie said, “Mr. Barrett, she’s even more beautiful than her picture!”

  Haman rushed up the steps. “That’s what I told her, Sadie.”

  The housekeeper was almost as round as she was tall, and had a pixie face wreathed in an almost permanent smile. Sadie had gained much wisdom and experience in her fifty-five years, and she detected the sorrow that shadowed Linda’s sky blue eyes. When she began to talk to Linda about the Lord, the two of them hit it off immediately.

  Haman hadn’t realized it when he hired Sadie, but she belonged to the church where Ronald Frye was pastor. She talked a lot about the Lord, and when she learned that her pastor was slated to perform the wedding ceremony for the young couple, she assumed Mr. Barrett was a Christian.

  Haman told himself he would find a way to get rid of Sadie when he began drawing Linda away from the church and that boring lifestyle. Now he took her by the arm and said, “Let’s take my bride-to-be on a tour of the house, Sadie.”

  With Haman on one side and the housekeeper on the other, Linda was escorted from room to room, downstairs and up. The huge house was furnished with large, dark wood furniture covered in brocade. A profusion of flowered patterns greeted the eye upon entering each room.

&nb
sp; Linda’s first thought was to soften the decor. Given some time, she was sure she could give it just the right touch to retain its beauty yet tame it down somewhat. As they went from room to room, she made mental notes as to what it would take to improve it.

  “So what do you think?” Haman asked her when she had seen the entire house.

  “It’s a very beautiful home,” Linda replied, smiling, “but there are some things I would like to do to make it ‘our’ home. If I understood you correctly, the furniture was left here by the previous owners.”

  “Yes.”

  “So it would be all right if I wanted to replace some of the furniture with that of my own choosing, and have some redecorating done?”

  Haman put an arm around her. “Of course, my sweet. Anything you want. This will be your home, and I want you to be happy in it.” In his mind, he was thinking that he really didn’t care what she did to it as long as it was grand and inviting to the many guests he planned on entertaining there.

  Sadie looked at the couple and smiled. In the short time she had worked for Mr. Barrett, she had developed some misgivings about him but hoped she would overcome them.

  As she studied Linda, she sensed the young woman was a strong Christian and had known some deep sorrow in her life. Sadie vowed to help clear that sad look from her eyes. She wasn’t quite sure about the mister, but she would enjoy working for the missus.

  “Well, darling,” Haman said, “I’m sure you would like to go to the hotel so you can unpack and get some rest.”

  “Yes, I would,” Linda said with a sigh.

  Sadie hugged her good-bye and said, “See you later, ma’am.”

  “I’ll look forward to it,” Linda said, smiling.

  15

  DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS, Linda left the confines of the hotel room in the afternoon and walked Main Street to get to know Cheyenne City. As she entered stores, shops, and other places of business, she enjoyed being able to move among people again. Already her life was taking on a new sense of purpose.

  The people were quite friendly to her. In some of the businesses, she was called upon to introduce herself and tell why she had come to Cheyenne City. Many people treated her like royalty when they learned she was to marry wealthy Blake Barrett, who now owned the town’s most successful bank.

  On the first evening, when Haman and Linda ate together at a restaurant, he started to eat without offering thanks, then caught himself in time. He wasn’t at a loss for words as he prayed before the meal, for he had often eaten with Blake Barrett in restaurants and cafes. Even though he found it embarrassing to pray in public, he would do whatever was necessary to draw Linda to himself. Whatever it took, having beautiful Linda as his wife would be worth it.

  The next day was Sunday.

  An inwardly nervous Haman Warner took Linda to church. He had used some forethought and bought himself a Bible, even roughing it up a bit to give it a well-used look.

  He could tell that Linda loved every minute of the service and he renewed his vow to wean her from such fanatical foolishness. This religious stuff had to go. Once they were married, he told himself, he would go to work on her. Little by little, he would change her.

  When the offering plate was passed, Haman grudgingly dropped in a wad of bills to impress Linda.

  Haman’s discomfort became almost unbearable when the pastor went to the pulpit, opened his Bible, and began preaching. Haman tried to find the Scripture passages to which the pastor referred, but eventually kept his Bible closed to avoid letting Linda see his unfamiliarity with Scripture. His fumbling had not escaped her eye.

  After the service, the people welcomed him and Linda, as did Pastor and Mrs. Frye. Linda felt an instant kinship with Carla Frye, who was also from New England.

  Sadie Brown joined the crowd around Linda and gave her a hug, whispering in her ear that she was on her way to the Barrett house to cook Sunday dinner for Linda and Blake, and to come with a big appetite.

  As Haman drove the carriage out of the church parking lot, Linda said, “You picked the right church, Blake. I love it. Pastor Frye is a tremendous preacher, and his wife and I have so much in common. I can’t wait to go back tonight!”

  Wasn’t Sunday morning enough? Haman thought.

  On Monday morning, Linda walked to Blake’s house from the hotel to begin making some changes in decor. She enlisted the help of Sadie, who was more than happy to assist the beautiful young lady with the sad eyes. Sadie suggested that first they sit down in the kitchen and have some aromatic tea and some of her delicious sweets.

  Linda enjoyed Sadie’s company in the bright, cheery kitchen, which at this point was her favorite room in the house. They shared some favorite Scriptures together and talked about the Lord and His blessings to them. When their tea was finished, they got down to business on the decor.

  Linda followed the same routine for the next two mornings, which included buggy rides to Main Street to make purchases for the needed improvements. Haman had given Linda money for that purpose.

  On Wednesday evening, Sadie was feeding Linda and Haman supper, when suddenly Linda looked at the clock and said, “Oh! We’re going to have to hurry, or we’ll be late to prayer meeting!”

  “I know you have to go your hotel room, Miss Linda,” Sadie said. “You two go on. My friend Bertha, who always picks me up, will bring me to church. I’ll see you there.”

  Haman’s stomach tightened, but he couldn’t reveal his true feelings yet. He rushed Linda to her hotel so she could change clothes and pick up her Bible.

  Again Linda noticed Blake’s discomfort at church but let it go without saying anything.

  By Thursday evening, she was unable to dismiss her negative thoughts about Blake Barrett. More incidents of ungentlemanly conduct had taken place, and it puzzled her deeply. It seemed that he had changed personalities between the time he’d sent his letters and the time she’d arrived in Cheyenne City. Blake definitely did things to please her, but where was the kind and tender gentleman she’d come to expect?

  On Friday night, Haman and Linda were sitting in a restaurant when he looked across the table at her and said, “Well, darling, you’ve been here a week now. What do you think about us getting married?”

  Linda was thinking about her parents and the fact that she hadn’t yet written to them. The reason was that she was still unsure of Blake and didn’t want to write till she had something positive to tell them. She’d held off writing to Joline for the same reason.

  When Haman’s words penetrated her thoughts, Linda jumped slightly and said, “Hmm? I’m sorry. My mind was occupied.”

  A slight frown etched his brow. “I said you’ve been here a week now. What do you think about us getting married?”

  Linda took a sip of coffee, then said, “I won’t beat around the bush with you, Blake. In many ways, you’ve been kind to me. You’ve generously allowed me to redecorate the house, and you’ve let me order several hundred dollars’ worth of new furniture. I appreciate this, but I have some questions I must ask you.”

  “Of course,” Haman said.

  She dabbed at her lips with a napkin, then said, “You seem on edge when we’re at church. Don’t you like it there after all?”

  “Sure I do. Its just that—well, I haven’t been myself since I came here to Cheyenne City. The move and all … and the load of getting adjusted to the new bank. Everything is so different here in the banking business than in California.”

  “You’re not happy here?”

  “Oh, it’s not that. It’s simply the huge adjustment. I love Wyoming. Everything’s going to be fine. Especially since you’re here.”

  Haman felt cold sweat bead his brow. He thought he’d covered his feelings well at church. He must be more careful.

  Holding his gaze, Linda said, “Maybe what you just told me answers the other question I have.”

  “What’s that?” Haman’s insides were churning. What else had he done to make her question him?

&
nbsp; “Blake, you’re quite different in person than in your letters.”

  “In what way?”

  “I … I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but I have to be honest with you.”

  “I want you to be honest, Linda.”

  “In your letters, you … well, you seemed so tender and gentlemanly. I don’t see those traits in person. You’re a little blunt in your speech now and then, and you have yet to help me in or out of your carriage. Only once have you hurried ahead of me to open a door. If I’m walking beside you as we approach a door, it’s usually me who has to open it …”

  Haman’s face flushed. “Linda, I’m so ashamed of myself. You were right when you said a moment ago that what I told you about my conduct at church answers your second question. I just haven’t been myself. Please forgive me. From this moment on, you’ll begin to see the old Blake Barrett.”

  “All right, Blake,” Linda said, smiling. “I can accept what you’ve said about the adjustment. I’m sure it hasn’t been easy for you.”

  Haman reached across the table and took her hand. “I’m falling deeper in love with you every day, darling,” he said.

  Linda squeezed his hand in return, then said, “I need a little more time, Blake. How about another week?”

  “Oh, that’ll be fine,” he said, relief flooding him. “One week from today?”

  “How about we get married on Saturday, a week from tomorrow?”

  “Of course. Saturday. Let’s see … that’s February 2. Good. We’ll talk to the pastor about it on Sunday.”

  The next day, Linda happily sat down and wrote her parents a letter, telling them the news that Blake was owner and president of the Great Plains Bank in Cheyenne City, and that he was quite wealthy. The house he had bought was the next thing to a mansion, and it was in the nicest part of town. She was glad to tell them they had found an excellent church, and capped off the letter by informing them she and Blake would be getting married on February 2.

  She also wrote a letter to Joline, giving her the same information.

  On Sunday morning after the service, she and Blake talked to Pastor Frye about having the wedding on the following Saturday at the church, and Frye readily agreed. The bride and groom wanted a simple ceremony with only two others in the wedding party—Carla Frye and Sadie Brown as witnesses. They had already asked Sadie, and Carla readily accepted.